Introduction
Following his 44-ball 76 in the 3rd T20I against the West Indies, in Basseterre, St. Kitts, Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav has risen to the number two spot in the ICC T20I world rankings. Now only two points separate him from the man who remains number one, Babar Azam of Pakistan.
Conceivably, if Yadav does well in the last two T20Is in the series, which will be played in Florida, he could secure the coveted number one spot by next Monday.
What are the ICC rankings?
Initially developed at the suggestion of former England captain Ted Dexter in 1987, the intention behind them is to provide a system of rating international players based on their recent performances.
Initially the rankings were for Test cricket only, but have since been expanded to take in all three formats of the game.
There are separate rankings for batters, bowlers, and all-rounders.
How the rankings are determined?
The rankings are a weighted average of a player’s performance over time, although more recent matches are given heavier relative weightings. Each match performance is given a maximum possible score of 1,000, based on pre-determined criteria, and these figures are then averaged.
For batters, the performance rating is determined taking into account the number of runs scored, the quality of the opposition bowling attack, the result of the match, and the comparison of the scores that the two sides make in a game.
Bowlers are awarded points according to wickets taken (the dismissal of higher-rated batters counts more), runs conceded, and match result.
The all-rounder’s rating is calculated by multiplying their batting and bowling rating together and then dividing by 1000.
Historic data
Although the rating system was only developed in 1987, it has been applied retrospectively to determine the year-end rankings of all test players going back as far as 1877. That means that the roll call include some of the greatest names to have played the game, including WG Grace, Don Bradman, Garry Sobers and Viv Richards to name a few.
Perhaps not surprising, the highest-ever Test ranking was Bradman in the 1948 season, which he ended with a batter rating of 961.
Do the rankings matter?
Whilst the rankings in themselves do not give any indication as to whether a team or individual will perform well in a particular match, because they are calculated over a period of time and take into account varying conditions and opponents, they still carry weight. And because cricketers, like sportsmen everywhere, are competitive animals, they also want to appear as high up their applicable rankings as possible,
They can also be lucrative. Franchise owners looking to recruit players for T20 cricket will often consult them before bidding for players in drafts or auctions.
The current top ten
Behind Azam, who leads the way currently with 818 points, just two better than Yadav, there is another Pakistan player Mohammad Rizwan. Then it is a League of Nations – Aiden Markram of South Africa, Dawid Malan of England, Aaron Finch of Australia, Pathum Nissanka of Sri Lanka, Nicolas Pooran of the West Indies, and two New Zealanders – Devon Conway, and Martin Guptill.
Other Indian batters
The next ranked Indian batter is Ishan Kishan (although he has been overlooked so far by the selectors for the T20I series against the West Indies. He is currently in 14th place, two places higher than his international captain Rohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli, who topped the T20I batter rankings in both 2014 and 2016, and, who for so long, topped the rankings, is now struggling to stay in the top 30, an indication of how he has struggled for form over the past few years.
Kumar India’s best bowler currently
Currently India’s best-rated bowler in T20I cricket is Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is eighth on a list currently headed by Josh Hazlewood of Australia. Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah have featured regularly in the top ten in the past, but have been “penalised” by being rested for the current tour of the Caribbean.
No Indian all-rounders in the top ten
No Indian all-rounders currently appear in the top ten, headed presently by Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan. Hardik Pandya is the best-ranked Indian currently in 13th place.
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